Hidden deep in the bowels of the labyrinthine thisisplymouth site is footage of a performance by our new favourite combo, Living For Thursday (see last week’s Something For The Weekend).
The tune they’re playing is pretty far from their best song (that’s outdoubtedly Repeat Till Fade) but the clip is still worth checking out, in order to witness lead singer Molly Gardner taking her first fledgling steps toward rock superstardom. Oh yes.
Posted by Thin White Duke
If you liked this story, you could buy us a coffee --------------------------------------------------------------------
November 17th, 2006
Follow the main cinema links for dates, times and matinee screenings.
Follow the title links for movie details, friendship and maybe more.
PLYMOUTH ARTS CENTRE
Marie Antoinette (12A) Everyone remembers Marie Antoinette’s catchphrase “let them eat cakeâ€, but we prefer her lesser known bon mot “you can shove that guillotine up your assâ€.
The Queen (12A) Helen Mirren manages to keep her clothes on, you say? Give the lady a Bafta!
TAVISTOCK WHARF
World Trade Center (12A) Nic ‘camel face’ Cage saves a buncha people from a knackered skyscraper, with just the aid of a dodgy ‘tache. And Jesus.
DARTINGTON ARTS/THE BARN
The Queen (12A) See Plymouth Arts Centre for our, ahem, in-depth review.
Little Miss Sunshine (15) No, it’s not the Ann Widdecombe story - it’s actually a pretty funny road movie, in a Daytrippers stylee. For once, the phrase about too many kooks doesn’t apply.
EXETER PICTUREHOUSE
Breaking And Entering (15) Jude Law indulges in a spot of ‘breaking and entering’ (getting his end away - Film Studies Ed) in the Big Smoke.
Oooh, quelle edgy.
Casino Royale (12A) Featuring Daniel Craig getting whacked repeatedly in the bollocks by a sadistic torturer with a bit of rope. One for all the family then.
The Squid And The Whale (15) Featuring a prepubescent boy jerking off into his hand and wiping cum over some library books. One for all the family… (you’re fired - Captn)
Posted by Thin White Duke
If you liked this story, you could buy us a coffee --------------------------------------------------------------------
November 17th, 2006
Reviewing a Mark Thomas gig is not an easy thing. Not just because he introduces his new one-man ‘comedy’ show as a tragedy in five acts. Not just because he starts his show by criticising his critics. And not just because the things Britain’s most popular enfant terrible gets up to, gets away with and doesn’t get away with leave one simply speechless. It’s just that it’s impossible to decide what Mark Thomas is; a comedian, a storyteller, a political activist, a reporter, a freedom fighter, an investigative journalist, etc.
In most of the brochures of the theatres around the country brave enough to lend him their auditorium and their audiences, Mark Thomas can be found in the ‘stand-up comedy’ section.
Regrettably, but understandably so - it’s unlikely any of his other job titles would pull in the punters.
Having said that, though it cannot be denied that Thomas is a brilliant showman and that his 1.5 hour show in which he tells the mind-boggling story of ‘his adventures in the arms and torture trade’ is often absolutely hilarious, it feels as if reviewing him as a first class stand-up comedian doesn’t do him the least bit of justice.
Within the space of one year, Mark Thomas uncovered two major British companies illegally selling weapons to Sudan (Newsnight chickened out of showing his report about one of them - which included conclusive video evidence - minutes before it was due to go on air, after a number of Newsnight employees received serious threats), he infiltrated the annual international ‘Arms Trade Fair’ in London (and brought to justice several of Britain’s major arms traders for illegally selling and promoting torture equipment at the fair); got into the Guiness Book of World Records (for organising the largest number of demonstrations in one day in the history of mankind).
So what did I think after seeing Mark Thomas’ show at the Exeter Phoenix on Thursday night? I certainly feel uncomfortable saying I ‘enjoyed’ the show. In between irrepressible fits of laughter, I was actually appalled during most of it.
Mark Thomas is a living example of how, inspite of growing globalisation and everything else that’s wrong with the world today, the power of the individual still has the potential to rise above that of corrupt governments and industries.
All I could say to my friends the next day when they asked me what the show was like is: ‘Go see it yourself, buy the book, join CAAT (Campaign Against Arms Trade), get a life and let’s stop banging on about the state of the world from now on and do something about it instead!â€
So there you have it.
Mark Thomas’ book “Underground adventures in the arms and torture trade†is for sale now on www.Amazon.co.uk. Find out more on Campaign Against the Arms Trade or the Mark Thomas site.
© Milica Lewis, November 2006
If you liked this story, you could buy us a coffee --------------------------------------------------------------------
November 17th, 2006
